Create Surfaces from Solids

[Ployd]

When creating surfaces from solids is there a way to select all, without trying to pick each individually?

 

I do a control all (Ctrl A) and it selects the entire obect but doesn't create surfaces when I hit enter.

 

Thanks!

[Thad]

Not that I know of. I've asked for a "all solids" mask for this long ago, to no avail. The All-Solids mask works for other things, but not this....or creating edge curves from a solid. They each have to be picked individually.

 

I submitted an enhancement request a couple years ago.

 

Thad

[Stefan Salmen]

Hi Plyd /Thad,

 

into the upcoming release X2-MR2 you are able to pick "ALL SOLIDS" with the "QM-SOLIDS Function" before you start the surface function. Works well!

 

Greetings from Germany

[Thad]

I'm looking forward to it, Stefan! Sometimes our part files come in from the designer as hundreds or thousands of small solid sheets.

 

Thad

[neil qwerty]

If you iges the solid file out and bring it back into mastercam, it will create surfaces where the solids were.

[twoplanker]

How about:

 

File:File merge/pattern:single click on your source file:in the window, select "options":in new window, check trimmed surfaces and edge curves.

HTH

[Thad]

Both are good options, Neil and twoplanker.

 

Thad

[Ployd]

Thanks for the ideas. It is hard to find every single surface manually.

[Thad]

twoplanker, where is the "options" option after clicking the source file?

 

Thad

[Nils N]

Thad it's file > open > (Select your file) then click options button(lower right next to the green check button) select trimmed surfaces and it works! just tried it works good. thanks twoplanker

[Thad]

Is a solids seat required for this? My options button is greyed out.

 

Thad

[Thad]

quote:

---

Is a solids seat required for this?

---

Doesn't look like it. The options button was greyed out there too.

 

Thad

[Nils N]

I don't have solids either, but you have to select a fie for the button to ungray

[twoplanker]

Thad,

 

I have solids, but the options is greyed-out until you actually select the file, as Nils said. Only left click once on the file to get options. Double-click opens the file directly with no options.

[Thad]

I *did* select it. It's still greyed out.

 

Thad

[Thad]

[Thad]

The part file contains 4 solids.

 

Thad

[Nils N]

Thad, Your right it won't ungray for an MC file. It works with files like Solidworks extensions SLDPRT or SLDASM Files, not sure if it works with MC solids because I don't have solids. If you have a Solidwork file try it with that or any other solids program. Other wise you did everything correct.

[Thad]

quote:

---

Your right it won't ungray for an MC file.

---

Hardmill, :SMACK: these guys for me, will ya?

 

You guys really had me going on that one.

 

Thad

[Hardmill]

quote:

---

Hardmill, :SMACK: these guys for me, will ya?

---

You really want me to waste a pefectly good slap on these chuckle-heads ??

 

 

PEACE

[Nils N]

[twoplanker]

DOH! I caught that :SMACK: from myself half-way home from work as I thought, "I hope Thad's not talking about an MCX file". Thanks anyway, Chiptooth. The file/merge thing only works for importing/merging solids from other software like Parasolids, etc. There is no need for merging options if it is already an MCX, so you don't have them. You may be able to save the solids as another file type like mentioned earlier in the thread, then re-merge it into your existing file.

 

For existing Mcam solids, how about create: surfaces from solids? I don't have accesss to Mastercam from home, but I've used this before. I think there is even an icon you can add to your toolbar for this.

 

Nils, when you file/merge a solid as surfaces, you will probably not be able to edit them. Mastercam doesn't seem to like messing with the original import. To get around this, x-form translate (copy) the entire model to any location away from the original, delete the imported/merged surfaces or put them on a different layer and x-form translate (move) your copied surfaces to your desired origin. Then you can mess with the copy all you want.

 

Gotta' go. There's a drinking match I signed-up for and it may involve golfing, or is it the other way around?

 

Again, HTH

 

Planker

[John T.]

We have MR1 here. The engineers save their solidworks files as X_T format, so we import that format. Then when we need to we just click on the "create surface from solid" icon on the toolbar (or you can click on create-surface-from solid in the drop down menu.

 

The solids toolbar when "lights up", and unless we change it to just faces, the entire solid will be chosen from one click.

[Thad]

John,

 

That works fine when you have one (or a few) solid(s). Try picking 600 individual solid sheets or bodies one at a time.

 

Currently when you use the quick mask for "All-Solids" to preselect, it gets dumped when activating solid selection inside the create curves or surfaces from solid. AFAIK, there is no way to select all solids when in those 2 commands.

 

Thad

[John T.]

Thad,

Trying to clarify for myself, when I say solid (such as a mold), I mean one or two solids each of which have several faces. I can pick one face or the whole solid to create curves or surfaces.

When you say "600 solid sheets or bodies", you mean like several seperate mold solids in one file then?

 

John